83 research outputs found
Looking Past the Mess: Māori Homelessness and Mental Health Care
No full textHomelessness is a pressing social and health concern that affects Māori disproportionately. This research explores the provision of mental health services to Māori who are homeless. The thesis has two primary aims. First, to document the experiences of Māori homeless people who live with mental health concerns and their relationships with mental health professionals. Second, to document the experiences of mental health professionals and how they interact with, provide care for, and build relationships with Māori Homeless. The skills of, and the difficulties faced by these professionals in provisions of quality of care are also considered. Three male and three female homeless participants were recruited from the Waikato and Auckland regions. All participants had received care from Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and/or District Health Board services (DHB). Participating mental health professionals included one female and five males. Mental health professionals included counsellors, therapists, psychologists, social workers, crisis team coordinator, and a cultural advisor. All participants took part in individual semi-structured interviews conducted in an open and conversational manner. Key themes for homeless participants included their general life histories of mental illness, mental health service use, relationship with professionals, cultural issues, and concerns that Māori homeless wanted to discuss. Key themes for mental health professionals included their approaches when working with homeless people, relationship building, barriers to working with this group and possible solutions, linking with other professionals or organisations, and issues mental health professionals wanted to discuss. Findings highlight the importance of strong therapeutic relationships between homeless clients and mental health professionals, the need for more joined up (multi-level agency) approach to service delivery, and the importance of Māori ideology in restoring wellbeing and dignity. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of mental health service delivery relies in part on information provided by stakeholders. Information provided by homeless people and mental health professionals informs both service delivery and the ways in which practitioners can best support the needs of homeless people
Hear Greer: voices in the archive
No full textIn the 1990s Germaine Greer began recording her audio diaries. At the same time the author was attempting to find a suitable buyer for her archive. While the intention of the audio diaries was to record Greer’s past doings, she was also revealing a more private domestic side of her everyday life. The Germaine Greer Archive sits at the intersection of history and invention and tells the many stories of Germaine Greer, herself stating, ‘The archive will put matters right for posterity… supposing posterity should be interested’
Understandings and social practices of medications for Zimbabwean households in New Zealand
No full textMedications are a central part of health care. How medications are understood and used by people in everyday life remains unclear. This study looks at understanding and social practices of medications in everyday life for Zimbabwean households in New Zealand. This project investigates understandings of medications and their use, taking account of all forms of medications, medical drugs, alternative medicines, traditional medicines and dietary supplements. Four Zimbabwean migrant families who all reside in Hamilton took part in this study. Data were collected using a variety of methods which included individual interviews with the families, household discussions, photographs, diaries, material objects, and media content to capture the complex and fluid nature of popular understandings and use of medications. This research provides insight into the cultural values and practices of these four families pertaining to how they acquired, used, shared, and stored indigenous and biomedical medications. Four key themes were identified: the preference of biomedical over traditional medications, storage, sharing and safety of medications; availability and affordability of medications; and the influence of the media in making decisions to purchase medications. Knowledge of how meanings are linked to the things people do with medications will inform strategies for ensuring that medication use is safe and effective
Contextualizing street homelessness in New Zealand: A case study approach
No full textHomelessness is commonly associated with large urban settings. For people who sleep on the streets it encompasses experiences of stigma, regulation and displacement, marginalization, violence, loneliness, and bodily decline. This thesis addresses the lack of research into the everyday practices of homeless people in New Zealand through a detailed exploration of the experiences of four homeless people. Through critically engaging with relevant scholarly literature this study documents the importance of human fortitude, agency, and meaningful social engagements in the lives of homeless people. Attention is given to how four homeless people (Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā) construct place-based identities and the relational, spatial and material dimensions of homelessness, which are central to participants’ everyday lives. Participants were recruited through experienced community workers at the Auckland City Mission. A case-based ethnographic approach was used to engage with participants through volunteer work, direct observations, biographical interviews, photo-production projects, and photo-elicitation interviews. Workshops with staff on each case study were conducted to bridge the divide between critical scholars and community groups through advocacy and joint action. The analysis considers each case in turn. Brett differentiates himself from other homeless people and works to find space for himself to gain respite and solitude. Daniel engages in domestic practices on the streets that are commonly associated with home-making, such as decorating a physical space with personal objects and cultivating a sense of place, routine, comfort, and familiarity. Joshua immerses himself in a street family and forms close relationships with other homeless people that provide him with a sense of belonging, purpose, connection, support and responsibility. Ariā exemplifies how Māori cultural practices can enrich and mould a person’s efforts to retain a positive sense of self while homeless. Māori cultural concepts relating to caring, leadership, unity, relationships, spirituality, history and place are evoked to ground understandings of Ariā’s everyday life. Strategies for making a life on the streets involves Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā working to maintain a sense of self and place in the face of adversity. A core finding from this research relates to the resilience of these participants, which spans personal and relational dimensions and extends to the social and physical environment
Re-membering those lost: The role of materiality in narrative repair following a natural disaster
No full textThe 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami resulted in a tragic loss of life and immense suffering. This thesis explores the ways in which five people from Sri Lanka worked to address the disruption to their life narratives caused by the loss of loved ones as a result of this tragedy. I demonstrate that the reconstruction of life narratives does not aim to cure; instead it helps people make sense of events, and cope and live alongside the aftermath of a disaster. The theoretical framework for this research is informed by narrative research, practice theory and phronesis. Semi-structured and walk-along interview techniques were used to gather the life narratives of the five key informants. Participant accounts were situated within the community setting of the town of Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka. Findings indicate that the significance of public monuments for processes of memorialisation and mourning can be contested compared to what is traditionally understood. I argue that personal material objects, symbolic spaces and everyday practices can serve as metonyms that enable participants to re-story their fractured life narratives. Everyday acts and objects also allow people to re-member loved ones and past lives lost to the tsunami. While language and texts are still important, I go beyond a focus on talk in narrative research in the field of psychology to explore the importance of material objects in sustaining continued bonds with the deceased. Traditional Anglo-American psychological approaches to disaster recovery may be successful in some communities. However, disaster psychology could become more responsive and effective with a greater consideration of the context of culture. This study provides an alternative to the tendency in mainstream psychology to pathologise grief, and highlights the importance of culturally-patterned responses to disaster. I argue that disaster psychology needs to be brought into conversation with other disciplines in order to fully understand how survivors of a tragedy can draw on cultural and community-based resources to build resilience in the face of grief and loss
From drawings to maquettes: an investigation into Charles Blackman's use of paper with a focus on the Heide Museum of Modern Art collection
No full textThis thesis is an investigation into the use of paper by Australian artist Charles Blackman. The primary aim of this study was to determine the types of paper used by Blackman throughout his artistic career, therefore enabling a greater understanding of the artist and his work. Employing a cross disciplinary approach, the research utilised both primary and secondary sources including: art historical texts, interviews, archival documents and works on paper held within the Heide Museum of Modern Art Collection. Through complementary forms of investigation this research determined that the papers used by Blackman over the course of his career varied significantly. Evidence suggests that in the early 1950s the artist used various low quality papers while later in his career he began to use a selection of better quality artist papers. The diversity of papers used by Blackman throughout his career indicates that the artist did not have a preference for one paper over another, suggesting that material choice was likely a secondary consideration to other elements of Blackman's artistic practice
Shifting Selves: Home beyond the House - A Study of Ageing, Housing and Wellbeing of Older Chinese Migrants to New Zealand
No full textOlder Chinese immigrants are one of the largest ethnic ageing groups in New Zealand. However, people‘s everyday experiences of settling in a new and unfamiliar environment have been largely overlooked, particularly for older adults. This research explores the biographies, identities and everyday experiences of filial piety among older Chinese immigrants. Particular consideration is given to the role of filial piety in participants‘ housing and ageing experiences. This research is one of the first explorations of Chinese immigrant ageing in place, which also considers changing enactments of filial piety. The research is informed by a hybrid narrative approach that draws on episodic, go-along and fangtan interview techniques used with 32 older Chinese immigrants in Auckland and Hamilton. Findings support the importance of exploring positive experiences of migration and ageing. Older Chinese immigrants do often experience biographical disruptions and status-discrepancies when they move from China to New Zealand. However, in response, the participants engage in positive activities such as gardening and art as a means of cultivating a new sense of self and place in a new land that is compatible with their existing identities as older Chinese adults. The analysis explores the material-mediated basis for participant adjustment and acculturation. Through adaptive acculturation, older Chinese immigrants‘ abilities for both integrating into the host culture and maintaining their ethnic identities are realised. The analysis also demonstrates that traditional Chinese aged care models of family support with high level of intergenerational co-residence are evolving to encompass practices of filial piety at a distance and to encompass more pluralistic familial living arrangements. The analysis also demonstrates the importance of considering how ageing occurs beyond physical spaces and within cultural, social, relational and imagined landscapes. The analysis shifts away from the focus in existing literature on how older Chinese immigrants are passively transformed into minority subjects to how they are transforming themselves through migration and their efforts to age well in New Zealand
Olympics and Mass Participation in Sport
No full textThis resource guide examines the evidence for a causal relationship between sport mega-events and increased mass participation in sport. The London 2012 Games, as the first to explicitly write this intention into their objectives for the Games, provide a case study for particular analysis. The guide reviews previous literature and asks ‘where next?’ in the continuing debate of the efficacy of legacy goals for the Games. The conclusions of the resource guide are supported by a comprehensive and current bibliography
2-Hydroxypropyl-Β-Cyclodextrin Reduces Atherosclerotic Plaques in Human Coronary Artery
No full textCardiovascular and cerebral arterial disease has become the number 1 killer of human being. The main pathology is atherosclerotic plaque, characterised by the build-up of cholesterol in the inner lining of the arteries, which blocks blood flow. 2-hydroxypropylβ-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) has been shown to encapsulate cholesterol to cause a regression of plaques in animals. However, there was no research on its effects in human subjects. This study is unique in that it was designed and performed by the first author (KH). He had severe coronary arterial atherosclerosis treated with classical statins and multiple stents but had been declared as having a life expectancy of 0.5-2.5 years in 2019. HPβCD was infused intravenously at different doses for a period of 36 days. Several significant results have been discovered. Firstly, the treatment led to a significant reduction of plaques in the right coronary artery revealed by coronary angiography before and after the treatment regimen. Secondly, the treatment reduced the level of cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood. Thirdly, the elevated urine albumin and albumin/creatinine ratio prior to the treatment was reduced to normal level. Lastly, no significant adverse effects were observed in liver function and hearing. This is the first clinical trial to show the efficacy of HPβCD in removing atherosclerotic plaques from coronary arteries.Full Tex
Embodying identity through tattooing: Autoethnography and the “bodyscape”
No full textFans of Heavy Metal music have a unique style of appearance and interaction through which a sub-cultural community is formed and maintained. This presentation describes aspects of Dave’s autoethnographic doctoral thesis in relation to the embodied nature of tattooing and the display of cultural symbols associated with the shared identity of Metaller. Drawing upon Dave’s interactions with one of his heavily tattooed participants, referred to affectionately in this research as “Chopper”, he will discuss the ways in which tattoos and associated descriptions can render into view community assumptions, practices, and relationships.
Chopper’s tattoos are colourful and embodied statements of membership and community. By focusing on the dialectics of tattoos and their metonymic relationship with a Heavy Metal
community, we explore how this participant’s sense of self as a member has been imprinted upon his flesh. The concepts of metonym and bodyscape are employed as a means of exploring and theorising the construction, expression, and performance of identity and community at sub-cultural events such as local gigs. Such events provide opportunities for bodyscapes to be enacted through social interactions. Our analysis moves beyond the description of specific representations to broader observations about the ways in which social relationships and community are rendered meaningful through mediated and interpersonal communication featuring these tattoos
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